Major fire and fuel spill as train derails
Environmental warning after massive blaze:
AFIRE on a derailed freight train carrying motor diesel and gas oil could burn for several days, it was claimed last night.
Two people escaped unhurt after they uncoupled the locomotive from its burning wagons as they passed through Llangennech, near Llanelli, at around 11.20pm on Wednesday, sparking a “major incident”.
The cause of the incident is currently unknown with investigators having to wait for the fire affecting three wagons to be extinguished.
There are also fears that diesel spillage into the nearby River Loughor could spell disaster for the local cockle fishery industry, with the Foods Standards Agency advising the closure of shellfish beds in the area’s estuary.
The train, owned by DB Cargo UK, was transporting “large amounts” of diesel between the Robeston oil refinery in Milford Haven and the fuel distribution terminal in Theale, in Berkshire.
Witnesses described hearing a loud bang before seeing the fire, which led to emergency crews being called to the area.
Officers declared a major incident and knocked on the doors of houses in an 800m exclusion zone, asking around 300 people to move to the nearby Bryn School and Llangennech Community Centre.
Pictures and video footage from late on Wednesday night and early yesterday morning showed huge flames lighting up the sky, even from miles away. Thick smoke could also be seen billowing up into the sky.
Eyewitnesses described the frightening scenes.
The home of John Griffiths and his wife Trish, who live at nearby Talyclun, was evacuated at around 2am. Mr Griffiths said: “When the tanker blew it was a different ballgame. We didn’t know what it was in the beginning, they weren’t telling us anything.
“They then told us it was a tanker and we know how big the tankers are. We were standing here looking up at the flames. It was a bit of a frightener when they said we were in the blast zone.
“I went to my daughter’s house in Llanelli out of the way. We had to
phone police to find out when we could go back and they told us at 6.30am we could but the road was closed.
“We haven’t had any sleep. It’s been a long night.”
Llangennech councillor Gwyneth Thomas said residents remained calm despite being shocked by the event.
She said: “Residents were quite calm, but they were quite puzzled about what was going on. It’s a very quiet village and you would never expect something like this to happen here, everything usually ticks by quite nicely so it was a shock.”
People living further away from the crash scene who were not told to leave their homes were advised by police to stay indoors and keep their windows closed.
Those whose houses had been evacuated, meanwhile, were allowed to return to their homes after 5am yesterday.
A spokesman for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service yesterday said it was “very difficult to say when the fire will be extinguished” due to the quantity of diesel on the site.
The spokesman added: “We can’t say yes or no to whether it will be a few days.”
DC Cargo UK said its priority was to “maintain the safety of the general public and minimise any environmental damage which may arise from this unfortunate incident”.
It added: “We can confirm that the driver and engineer who were aboard the train at the time were both uninjured and are being supported by the company.”
BTP Superintendent Andy Morgan said in a statement at the scene that officers were assisting the Office of Rail and Road and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch to find out what caused the incident.
“What we know is a freight train, carrying large amounts of diesel oil, caught fire and a number of its carriages also derailed,” he said.
“Thankfully, despite the clear danger, no injuries have been reported.
“The two members of railway staff operating the train were able to raise the alarm and uncouple the locomotive and move it to a safe space.
“The fire was significant due to the quantity of fuel it was carrying and presented a possible danger to the wider community.
“As a precaution, roads were shut, and Dyfed-Powys Police evacuated a large number of homes within a radius of the fire.”
He added: “At this time, the cause of the fire is unknown and, while the fire continues, there is still a substantial risk within its immediate vicinity, so our advice remains for people to avoid the area.
“Our officers are conducting initial enquiries and are in the process of collecting key witness statements and CCTV. Once the fire is extinguished, and the scene is safe to assess and investigate, they’ll be assisting the Office of Rail and Road and Rail Accident Investigation Branch further at the scene.”
Supt Morgan went on to say: “Clearly we have a number of trains running up and down our tracks every day of the week. These instances don’t happen very often thankfully, so something has gone wrong and that’s what the focus of our investigation will be.”
Aneurin Cox, incident manager for Natural Resources Wales, speaking yesterday afternoon, said it was not currently safe for environmental officers to assess the impact of the diesel spill.
He said: “From our initial monitoring of the wider area, it’s clear that some of the diesel is already making its way into the nearby River Loughor.
“Once it’s safe to do so, we will work with our partners to fully assess the environmental impact and advise Network Rail when the cleanup of the site can begin.
“We will also be keeping local angling and cockling groups informed of the latest situation.”
Another spokesman for the environmental body said there were fears the spillage could spread further into nearby waterways and contaminate them, potentially leading to cockle fisheries being temporarily shut down.
A spokeswoman for the Foods Standards Agency said: “We are working with local authorities, Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science to understand if there are any implications for food safety.
“On a precautionary basis we have given advice to local authorities to temporarily close the shellfish beds in the estuary. This will be kept under review and further advice will be provided as more information becomes available.”
Richard Felton, head of response for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service in Carmarthenshire, said 14 pumps and one high volume pump had been used at the height of the fire.
He said: “We are left at the moment with three carriages which are being monitored and cooled. They are being temperature checked to make sure they are kept to an acceptable temperature.”
Simon Jenkins, the fire service’s area manager, said: “I would like to say a huge thank you to our crews, who have worked tirelessly to fight and contain the fire at a challenging location and in difficult weather circumstances.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the local community for their support and patience to our crews, during what is a very difficult time for local residence and business.”